Borrowers with home loans linked to the External Benchmark Linked Rate (EBLR) have enjoyed a low-interest-rate cycle for a long time. However, their joy ride has now ended as as the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) increased the repo rate from 5.25% to 5.50% in its Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting today (Wednesday, October 7, 2026).
After December 2025, this is the first time that the RBI has changed the repo rate, which means borrowers who have their loans linked to the External Benchmark Linked Rates (EBLR) will now have to pay a higher equated monthly instalment (EMI) on their loans once their lender increases the rate.